"But the greatest of these is love"...

This isn't my story, but it's beautiful... its from the guy who took a picture of the image above...

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Yesterday, while in Euclid Ohio, visiting my parents (dad is 88 and mom is 86) I saw love in action at a nursing home. Stopping at the city park on the shore of Lake Erie, I saw enduring love first hand.

Watching this couple walk down the path to the Lake I can see them as a young couple years before walking on this same path.

A foot note to this picture. My mother passed away in April following this trip and dad died the first week of June. Two hearts eternally linked by a love that kept both committed to life together and a desire be together forever in heaven. Just a note of encourgement, dad was 68 years old when he married my new mother who was 66. Both had come from marriages that had very hard challenges and were much less than the love and romance we read about in books.

They lived a life time together in the 19 years they had together. Holding hands, a smile between them, the spark exchanged between eyes that held respect for each other, and the kind loving words that could be heard well into the night behind a closed bedroom door told us, their seven children, that they had found their soul mates. We will miss these two, more than they will ever know because of their profound impact on all of us. They never stopped or gave up and they never stopped teaching by example. Every time I view this picture I remember and am profoudly sad at our loss and so happy to have known them. May they rest in peace...

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Does God care if we do things the best we can?

In 2 Kings 13-19, a sad account is told. "Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died," and "Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him." Elisha told the king to get a bow and some arrows and to open the east window and to shoot "The LORD´s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Johoash did these things, each at the time Elisha instructed. Elish then instructed him to "take the arrows," and "strike the ground." Jehoash´s halfhearted attempt displeased Elisha.

Put into other terms, God isn't being petty. He's saying "if you're going to do something, put ALL your effort into it. Then I'll multiply your efforts to turn your best efforts into GREAT efforts."

Brian

My struggle with addiction...

A confession...
I struggle with tobacco addiction. I've quit tons of times but I never can lose the craving or desire to have it. Though there are worse things to be addicted to, I don't want to be dependent and addicted.

If you get a chance, say a prayer for my desire to leave. If you struggle with an addiction, post a comment, I'll pray for you as well.

brian

Are Christians hypocritical, too focused on conversion, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, or judgmental?

Welcome! This blog serves to point out things that God has laid on my heart, and I encourage you to post your comments and thoughts about it. I'm not your typical Believer. ;)

On to the first post:

How do people outside the church view those inside it? If you're talking about Americans between the ages of 16 and 29, the answer is, "Not favorably." Americans in this age range view Christians as hypocritical, too focused on conversion, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental.

The key to changing young adults' perceptions of Christianity is learning "to respond to people in the way Jesus did." This does not entail giving up or watering down key convictions about Christian faith and practice. Just because young adults view Christianity as antihomosexual, for example, does not mean that Christians should stop teaching that homosexual acts are sinful or that monogamous heterosexual marriage is God's will.

What responding to people as Jesus did means is, first of all, having the right perspective on their criticism. We should consider whether our response to cynics and opponents is motivated to defend God's fame or our own image.

Second, it involves connecting with people. The negative image of Christians can be overcome, and this almost always happens in the context of meaningful, trusting relationships.

Third, a Christlike response requires creativity. We cannot ignore the importance of breaking through the `been there, learned that' perspective young people have about Christianity.

Fourth, we must serve people. Young American adults view the church as irrelevant and uncaring. To respond as Jesus would, "we must cultivate deep concern and sensitivity to outsiders."

Of course, we ought to do these things because they're right things to do, not simply because they'll help improve our image among young adults. And doing these things does not guarantee that young people will become Christians. What it will do is change the perception about who Christians are, what we believe, and how we live. In a culture for which perception often is reality, changing the way the church is perceived goes a long way to solving humanity's basic problem: our separation from God, and our need for salvation.